Eye for a Recipe

This delicious recipe from Bonnie Stern’s More Heartsmart Cooking has lots of flavour from spices and roasted garlic but doesn’t have lot of fat. To flatten the chicken breasts, place them between two pieces of plastic wrap and pound with the smooth end of a meat tenderizer. Unlike regular couscous — small grains of durum wheat — Israeli couscous is a toasted pasta shaped in tiny balls, about the size of small peas.

Avoiding Additives and Preservatives

Make sure the orange juice concentrate and spices have no preservatives added.

Pound chicken breasts until they are a half-inch thick, marinate and then grill

Flattened Cumin-Grilled Chicken Breasts with Garlic Israeli Couscous

Ingredients:

Chicken

6 skinless, boneless single chicken breasts, 4 oz/125 g each

1 tbsp (15 ml) olive oil

2 tbsp (30 ml) orange juice concentrate

1 tsp (5 ml) ground cumin

2 cloves garlic, minced

½ tsp (2 ml) salt

½ tsp (2 ml) pepper

Israeli Couscous

4 cups (1 L) chicken stock

8 oz (250 g) Israeli couscous

1 head roasted garlic

Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

To roast garlic, trim about ¼ inch/5 mm off the top of a garlic head. Place the garlic cut side down on a foil-lined baking sheet and roast at 400 F/ 200 C for about 40 minutes or until tender. Gently squeeze the garlic out of the skins.

Remove filets from chicken breasts (freezing them for stir-fries or chicken fingers). Pound remaining pieces of chicken until about ½ inch / 1 cm thick

In small bowl, combine olive oil, juice concentrate, cumin, minced garlic, salt and pepper. Rub mixture into chicken breasts. Marinate for 10 minutes or up to overnight in refrigerator.

Grill chicken breasts on lightly oiled barbecue or grill pan for a few minutes per side — 3 to 5 minutes, or just until cooked through.

Meanwhile, to prepare couscous, bring chicken stock to boil. Add couscous and cook for 10 minutes, or until tender.

Stir garlic paste or pesto sauce into couscous. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Place couscous in serving dish and arrange chicken on top. Serves 6.

From More Heartsmart Cooking

This hearty salad from Style at Home keeps well because it is made with Israeli couscous, a toasted pasta shaped into tiny balls a little smaller than peas. The recipe is just a guide; you can be very creative with this dish. I skipped roasting the tomatoes, left out the tuna and halloumi, and added sun-dried tomatoes and feta cheese.

Avoiding Additives and Preservatives

Use freshly squeezed lemon juice and a Dijon mustard without preservatives such as President’s Choice Old Fashioned Dijon. Other ingredients that may include additives are the tuna, beans, artichoke hearts, capers and halloumi.

Toast the dry Israeli couscous to bring out its nutty flavour

You can add lot of ingredients to the couscous, including tomatoes, artichoke hearts and herbs

Toss with a lemony dressing

Ingredients:

Lemon chive dressing

2 tbsp (30 ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice

¼ cup (60 ml) extra-virgin olive oil

2 tbsp (30 ml) finely chopped shallots

2 tbsp (30 ml) finely chopped chives

2 tsp (10 ml) lemon zest

1 tsp (5 ml) Dijon mustard

½ tsp (2.5 ml) sea salt

½ tsp (2.5 ml) freshly ground black pepper

For salad

1 pint (250 ml) multicoloured cherry tomatoes

3 tbsp (45 ml) extra-virgin olive oil, divided

2 cloves garlic, minced

1- ½ cups (375 ml) uncooked Israeli couscous

1 5-oz jar (150 g) chunk Italian tuna in olive oil

1 18-oz jar (532 ml) large butter beans, rinsed and drained

1 cup (250 ml) quartered fire-roasted marinated artichoke hearts

¼ cup (60 ml) chopped fresh basil leaves

1 tbsp (15 ml) capers, rinsed

9 oz (255 g) halloumi, cut into 6 pieces

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C0

In a small bowl, whisk together all the ingredients for the lemon chive dressing; set aside.

Cut the tomatoes in half and lay them, cut sides up, on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of the olive oil and season lightly with salt and pepper. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until the tomatoes are a little wrinkly but still moist. Allow to cool slightly on the baking sheet.

Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil in a pot over medium heat; add the garlic and cook until just sizzling.

Add the Israeli couscous and stir to coat in the garlic oil. Cook for 3 or 4 minutes, stirring, until lightly toasted and then add 2 cups (500 ml) cold water. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes, until the water is absorbed and the couscous is tender. Remove from the heat, stirring to fluff.

Pour the lemon chive dressing over the couscous and stir to combine. Add the roasted cherry tomatoes, tuna, butter beans, artichoke hearts, basil and capers. Stir gently to combine.

Heat a grill pan over medium heat. Grill the halloumi slices for 1 to 2 minutes per side, until golden. Serve the Israeli couscous salad warm, topped with the grilled halloumi. Serves 4 to 6.

From Style at Home

This lovely summer salad from Cook’s Illustrated combines cooked Israeli couscous with pickled shallots, fresh greens, herbs, peas, pistachios and feta cheese.  Israeli couscous is a toasted pasta shaped in tiny balls, about the size of small peas. You can boil it like pasta, or let it absorb water, like rice. Cook’s Note: Prepare the shallots and let them pickle while you continue with the rest of the recipe.

Avoiding Additives and Preservatives

Look for a red wine vinegar without sulphites; I use Eden Organic brand. Use fresh lemon juice and check the pistachios for colour and sulphites. Select a feta cheese with all-natural ingredients such as Tre Stelle.

Pickle the shallots first

Toasting the couscous before cooking brings out its nutty flavour

Use lots of greens and mint

Frozen peas are fine if fresh are not available

Israeli couscous with lemon, mint, peas, feta and pickled shallots

Ingredients:

Couscous

2 cups (500 ml) Israeli couscous

1 tablespoon (15 ml) extra-virgin olive oil

2 ½ cups water (625 ml)

½ teaspoon (2.5 ml) salt

Salad

1/3 cup (75 ml) red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons (30 ml) sugar

Salt and pepper

2 shallots, sliced thin

3 tablespoons (45 ml) extra-virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons (45 ml) lemon juice

1 teaspoon (5 ml) Dijon mustard

1/8 teaspoon (0.5 ml) red pepper flakes

1 recipe couscous (see above), cooled

4 cups (1 L) baby arugula, roughly chopped

1 cup (250 ml) fresh mint leaves, torn

½ cup (125 ml) frozen peas, thawed

½ cup (125 ml) shelled pistachios, toasted and chopped

3 ounces (185 ml) feta cheese, crumbled

Preparation:

Couscous

Heat couscous and oil in medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring frequently, until about half of grains are golden brown, 5 to 6 minutes. Add water and salt; stir to combine. Increase heat to high and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until water is absorbed, 9 to 12 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat and let stand, covered, for 3 minutes. Serve.

Salad

Bring vinegar, sugar, and pinch salt to simmer in small saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar dissolves. Remove pan from heat, add shallots, and stir to combine. Cover and let cool completely, about 30 minutes. Drain and discard liquid.

Whisk oil, lemon juice, mustard, pepper flakes, and 1/8 teaspoon (0.5 ml) salt together in large bowl. Add cooled couscous, arugula, mint, peas, 6 tablespoons (90 ml) pistachios, ½ cup (125 ml) feta, and shallots and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste and transfer to serving bowl. Let stand for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining ¼ cup feta (60 ml) and remaining 2 tablespoons (30 ml) pistachios and serve. Serves 4.

From Cook’s Illustrated

This colourful salad is a great side dish with any grilled meat, fish or seafood. Zucchini and peppers are grilled or broiled and then tossed with cooked Israeli couscous, olives, sun-dried tomatoes, red onion and basil. Unlike regular couscous — small grains of durum wheat — Israeli couscous is a toasted pasta shaped in tiny balls, about the size of small peas. The cooking method is different too; to make regular couscous, you usually boil liquid, add the couscous, turn off the heat and let the couscous steam and absorb the liquid. To cook Israeli couscous, which is called Ptitim in Israel, you add the pasta to boiling water, reduce the heat and simmer until the pasta absorbs the liquid.

Avoiding Additives and Preservatives

Sun-dried tomatoes and olives may contain preservatives. I use Mediterranean Organic sun-dried tomatoes and Pilaros black olives.

Grill or broil colourful vegetables

Mix with cooked Israeli couscous

This is a great side dish with grilled seafood, fish or meat

Ingredients:

1 cup (250 ml) Israeli couscous

¼ cup (60 ml) chopped sun-dried tomatoes in oil, plus 2 tbsp reserved oil

1 tsp (5 ml) Maldon sea salt

1 yellow zucchini, sliced into 1/8″ (0.3 cm) thick rounds

1 green zucchini, sliced into 1/8″ (0.3 cm) thick rounds

1 red pepper, thickly sliced

1 orange pepper, thickly sliced

Olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

¼ cup (60 ml) pitted and chopped kalamata olives

¼ cup (60 ml) red onion, finely diced

¼ cup (60 ml) chopped fresh basil

Preparation:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook Israeli couscous for 12 minutes or until tender to the bite. Drain well, place in a large bowl and toss with sun-dried tomatoes, reserved oil and salt. Stir occasionally until cool. Meanwhile, heat the barbecue to medium. Toss all the vegetables with olive oil, salt and pepper.

Grill until vegetables are tender and lightly charred. Allow to cool slightly and chop into 1/4″ (0.6 cm) dice. Stir into the couscous along with the olives, red onion and basil. Serve warm or at room temperature. Serves 6.

From Style at Home